The Road of Opportunities
by CorinnaTomlinson
Summary: Natalie's life was all planned out for her. Her life was extraordinary, but she always felt like there was something missing. Then she met Keith, and everything changed. **This is a story that is purely based off of the movie. Most scenes are in Natalie's perspective, with a few Keith scenes as well. There are some alternative scenes.**
1. Prologue

Prologue

"_Goodbye, Partner." _

How much time had gone by since he said those words to me? I snapped back to reality and realized that I was still standing there in the middle of the airport like a complete idiot. Tears were streaming down my face and my heart was beating into my ears.

Then I saw his back as he was walking away from me. He was still clutching that stupid, empty suitcase and the ticket that I made for him. There was no way he could actually board the plane.

It took me awhile to realize that this was his way of leaving our relationship. This is how he wanted it to end.

_No, _I thought to myself. It _can't _end this way. I won't let it. I _need _this boy in my life. He's completely changed my life, and I can't let him walk away like this.

Suddenly my feet moved from underneath me, and I found myself running after him.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

**The unbelievably obnoxious ring of** **the alarm filled her ears that **woke her with a start. She groggily rolled to her side and slapped her alarm clock with her hand to stop the ringing.

5 am, the clock read.

She groaned to herself. _I feel like I'm living the same day over and over again. _After allowing herself to lie there in silence for another 30 seconds, she forced herself to get out of her warm bed to wash her face and put her practice clothes on. She quickly packed her bag with her books and her planner and ran downstairs quietly to grab her tennis bag. After glancing at the clock to see that 25 minutes had gone by, she silently slipped out of the door.

* * *

Tennis was always a sport that relaxed her. It had a way of taking her mind off of the craziness that made up practically her entire life. She found it easy to simply focus on nothing but the bright green ball, pointing it in the direction to go. Besides school, it was something that she was actually good at.

She tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear as she reached for another ball in her basket. She concentrated on the other side of the net, hearing voices in her head. _Go, Natalie! Go, Natalie! _they chanted. She pictured a girl standing before her, bouncing eagerly and awaiting her serve. At last, she threw up the ball, slammed it down as hard as she could, and aced it.

And the crowd went wild!

She sighed to herself. Sometimes, she wished that she could just play tennis for fun. She loved the sport, but it was getting a bit old. The pressure to play every second of her life was slowly burning her out. She imagined playing with her dad, laughing and teasing each other with no pressure, whatsoever.

Natalie shook her head and her blonde hair flew in all directions. It was never going to happen.

* * *

"Look, Walter…can I call you Walter?" he asked innocently. He stood at the foot of his new AP chemistry teacher's desk; ten minutes before the bell was scheduled to ring. The desks were empty and the room was completely silent. There was a faint smell of rubbing alcohol in the air.

"No," the chemistry teacher replied, a bit annoyed. He pushed his glasses further up his nose and sat up in his chair.

"Oh, do you have a nickname? Walt, maybe?" Keith asked.

"You can call me 'Mr. Miles,' Keith," Mr. Miles sighed.

"Okay, Walt. Here's the deal. I don't really know how much longer I'll be attending this school," he started casually, "But I do think that there is nothing to lose in taking this class."

"I see," Mr. Miles said. "I am well aware of your…" he paused, looking for the right word. "_Situation," _he said finally.

"Then you'll understand me when I say I want to _choose_ my lab partner. You know, someone 'out of the box.' It's important to try to make friends with everyone, right?"

"I suppose," Mr. Miles muttered.

"Good," Keith replied happily. "Then you know Natalie Anderson, right?"

Mr. Miles looked at him, surprised. "You want to be paired up with Miss _Anderson?" _he asked, unable to hide the skepticism in his voice.

"Well…yeah. Is that a problem?" Keith raised his eyebrows at his new teacher.

"No, I think that can be arranged," Mr. Miles whispered slowly. He pulled out a clipboard with a list of students on it. He suddenly looked up. "Why, if I may ask, did you choose her? Out of every student in this class, why her?"

Keith chuckled to himself. "Oh, Walt," he laughed, ignoring his teachers wince at his name, "Why _not?"_

* * *

As soon as she stepped out of the car, she eagerly looked around for him. The cool, night air clung to her skin and she breathed in the familiar campfire smell that was always present at The Brick. The lake sparkled in the moonlight to her right while a mob of people poured into the area to her left.

And then she saw him.

Earlier that day, she sat in the quad working on a chemistry study guide when she saw him for the first time. There had been major talk about the new South American student in their class.

Rafael Marquez.

He was playing soccer with Ben and Kevin during lunch. Natalie sat at the trunk of her favorite tree in the quad when she saw him. He was amazing at soccer; showing up both Ben and Kevin who were the co captains of the varsity soccer team. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

She snapped back to the present once again, becoming aware of her surroundings. Music was blasting and people were already clutching red cups and huddled around the campfire. Brooke was behind her with Robbie, laughing over something that he had said. After a few quick glances around the campfire, Rafael didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

"Yo, Anderson, what's up?!" a loud, familiar voice sounded from behind her. She spun around to see Shane Hartman behind her. His smile was big and it extended from ear to ear.

"Not much, how are you?" she replied, grinning.

"I'm doing good, you know, just chilling…" he rambled. Without realizing it, Natalie shifted her gaze past Shane and quickly scanned the faces behind him. Shane followed her glance and looked behind him as well. "Who you looking for, doll?" he winked.

She chuckled to herself. "Now what makes you think that I'm looking for someone?" she challenged, but she felt her cheeks turning red nevertheless.

"Don't pretend, Anderson," Shane joked. "I know a search when I see one. Now what's his name?"

She rolled her eyes, but when she realized that Shane was being serious, she pursed her lips. Natalie took a deep breath in and stepped closer to Shane, after stealing a few cautious glances around her to make sure they were alone. "What do you know about Rafael Marquez?"

Shane's eyebrows lifted. "What, the new guy?" he asked.

Natalie nodded slowly.

"Well, I know that everyone likes him," he said. "He's all everyone talked about today. He's amazing at soccer, he can speak four languages, he was at the top of his class in Brazil AND he's a musician."

It was Natalie's turn to raise her brows. "How do you know all of this stuff?" she asked, bewildered.

Shane lifted his hands cautiously. "Hey, I didn't stalk the guy, if that's what you're thinking." He went on after Natalie let out a chuckle. "I hear things, Anderson. I hear things," he smiled again.

"Okay, Shane. Well, thanks," she punched his arm playfully.

"_Take it off! Take it off!" _People were chanting behind her, at the edge of the lake.

"What's going on over there?" Natalie asked curiously.

"I don't even want to know," Shane laughed, but the two made their way over anyways.

After getting closer to the lake, she saw Marcus and Paul throwing their shirts over their heads and slipping their pants off quickly. People were chanting all around them, laughing at the sight of the two boys in their boxer shorts. Natalie let out a laugh. _What the hell are they doing?!_ But the stripping didn't cease once the two were in their boxer shorts…they both turned around and slipped those off as well.

"What the…" Natalie's eyes widened in amazement. "What is going ON here?" she laughed to Shane.

"Who the hell knows?" Shane said, almost out of breath from laughing so hard.

She couldn't believe that there were two boys standing in front of her, and frankly, half the school, completely naked. The crowd erupted in laughter before they turned around and ran into the lake.

Natalie's mouth dropped and she threw her head back to let out a fit of laughter herself. "I can't believe they just did that," she shuddered to herself. "Can you believe that they did that…" she turned to her side, expecting Shane's goofy smile but instead saw a pair of breathtaking brown eyes instead.

The man standing before her had jet black hair and olive skin. His head bowed down slightly so his brown eyes were able to meet hers. He had full eye brows and his hair was long enough to brush the collar of his jacket in the back of his neck.

Immediately, her heart began to pound against her chest. _Stay calm, Natalie, stay calm. _She wanted to scream and she wanted to smile like a complete idiot. But instead, she took a small breath and let out a calm "Hi."

"Hello," he said to her. _That accent. He had an accent. What was the world doing to her? _

She couldn't fight the smile that was building up inside of her, so she let her head hang down and she stared at her feet for a moment. "You're Rafael, right?" she asked, reuniting their gazes.

"Yeah," he beamed. "And you're…"

_Duh. Introduce yourself you big loser. _"Natalie. Natalie Anderson," she smiled again. _Stop smiling you look like a desperate idiot. _

"Ah, yes. The _famous_ Natalie Anderson, head of…well…everything," he teased.

Natalie chuckled. "Yeah, well, I try to stay busy."

"All work and no play, huh?"

She thought to herself for a moment. "None, whatsoever. Zero."

"Right, so I assume you're working now?"

"Oh, absolutely. It's key club, where we're checking in with the transfer students. You know, making sure they're adjusting okay."

Rafael shrugged. "Well, it's been tough…you know with a new school, new country. It's a lot to get adjusted to."

"Ah, I can tell. I mean, you've only made fifty of sixty new friends."

Out of nowhere, Shane appeared and bumped her hip with his. "Sup, Anderson!"

Natalie glared hard at Shane, begging him to go away. Shane exhibited a look of pure confusion, unaware of the situation before spinning around and seeing Rafael.

"Oh! I'm sorry, doll," he apologized, turning back to Natalie and punching her arm. He spun to Rafael. "Sorry, man." He held up his hand.

"Don't worry about it, bro," Rafael said, joining his hand with Shane's. "I'll catch you later, okay?" Shane unleashed his grin once again before turning around and leaving.

"Make that sixty-ONE," Natalie chuckled quietly once they were alone.

"Yeah, well, it's nice to know that somebody cares," he grinned. She smiled back, and they stood that way for several moments, just staring at each other.

_Gosh, _she thought_, he really is breathtaking. He's so easy to talk to. He just has so much…charisma. It's captivating. _

Thunder rumbled from above her, snapping them out of their trance. She looked around at Brooke, who shot her a sly grin. Natalie brought her hands to her hair and nervously pushed her bangs back. "Well, I'm gonna go. But it was really nice meeting you, Rafael."

"You too, Natalie. I'll talk to you later okay?"

"Okay," she blushed. "Bye." She walked away and smiled to herself. She was surprised that she didn't completely screw up.

"Come on, Natalie!" Brooke beckoned. "The rain is going to get bad. We should get going."

"I'm coming!" she yelled from across the field. The rain was already starting the fall. The drops of water felt cool against her burning cheeks. Sure, she only got to speak to him for a couple of minutes. But at that moment, at the edge of the lake and under hundreds of rain drops, she had never felt more alive.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Zach!" Mrs. Anderson called from downstairs. "Breakfast is on the table! I hope you're awake!"

Natalie was standing before her body mirror with her blond hair tied up. She had a black tank top on and was examining her figure to see if it was acceptable to present to Rafael.

She felt a connection to him when they spoke last night. She was sure it was all in her head, but she didn't care. But it wasn't very comforting to know that almost every girl in the school was after him. That's always the case whenever there's a new guy in school. She had to stand out.

She smoothed out the black tank over her flat stomach. She spun around and examined her back. Yeah, she looked perfectly normal.

"Natalie!" her mother called from downstairs in frustration. "Please get him up! He's going to be late for school!"

"Okay, okay," she muttered.

She ran to her dresser for a sweater throwing it over her head as fast as she could. She grabbed her backpack and books and flung it over her shoulders.

Trying to untangle herself from the wrath of her sweater, she managed to stumble to her brother's room.

"Zach!" she pounded on the door, pushing it open. "Wake up!"

The air in his room was cold and empty. She glanced at his bed and the covers were made and untouched. She sighed and shut the door.

"He didn't come home!" she yelled to her mother. _I wonder where he is, _she wondered while she made her way down the stairs.

Cynthia was already digging into her eggs and bacon at the table. Her father was studying a sheet of paper, most likely the list of opponents she's scheduled to play in the next few weeks. Her mother was at the counter, spreading butter on slices of toast.

"Morning," Natalie said quickly, not planning to stay for breakfast. She grabbed a cup on orange juice from the table and drank, pulling out colorful flashcards that were in her pocket.

"Morning, sweetheart," her mother greeted happily.

"Nattie," her father burst, looking up from his packet. "Mills is a lefty. So we have to work on your—"

"—Backhand," Natalie interrupted all-knowingly. "I know."

"We're going to spend the entire practice doing backhand today," her mother added proudly.

Natalie let out a sigh. She was exhausted. She knew that late nights out were just a part of her social life, but they were contributing to her lack of sleep. She felt tired all the time, now.

She focused on her flashcards again, quickly studying the French phrases she needed to know for her quiz today. Her dad was rambling on about her last match against Mills, where she was beaten badly. She preferred to refrain from reliving that day, thank you very much.

"Just remember, Natalie, if you beat her, your ranking jumps at least three places," her dad stated robotically.

Her mother scoffed. "What's this 'if' about?"

Natalie nervously glanced at the clock. She was going to be late for an early key club meeting unless she left now. It's not like she was having the time of her life talking about her tennis records.

She threw and arm around her father and planted her lips on the side of his head. "I have to go," she said against his hair. "Bye." She stepped to her little sister and ruffled her hair before her mother stopped her.

"You should sit down and eat breakfast, baby," her mother said.

"I have key club this morning, Mom. I have to get going," she replied quickly. She grabbed her bag and stacked her flashcards and was out of the door before her mother could protest.

* * *

"As for the states of attraction experiments, the couples are Hobbes/Mertin, Carling/Stevens, Brand/Eldridge, Anderson/Zetterstrom, Brendan/Devins, Starling/Vandome, Mission/Sheer, Forta/Meade, Rosenthal/McCarthy, Thomas/Bradley and Forla/Kyper," Mr. Miles announced before the class later that day. The entire room shuffled about in order to find their lab partner, while Natalie remained in the center of the room, unable to find her partner. Eventually, the entire room cleared out it was her left alone while the rest of the pairs set off to their lab tables.

Giving up, she stomped to the only empty table and threw her stuff down. She started gathering the necessary beakers wondering if this lab was doable by herself.

When she turned around, there was a boy sitting in the seat beside her that was empty just seconds before.

Natalie jumped, startled at his sudden appearance. Shaking her head and recovering, she managed a quick, "Zetterstrom?"

"Haven't lied to you this far. I'm not going to start now," was all he said. Her eyes narrowed at him. _What kind of answer is that?_

She shuffled her papers uncomfortably. She could feel his gaze piercing the side of her face. He had been staring at her ever since he took the seat! Her pencil shook nervously in her hand as she wrote her name on the top of the lab sheet.

When she looked up, he was still staring at her. "Well?" she muttered, clearly annoyed. "You gonna help?"

He nodded his head finally, letting down his gaze to pull out a box of matches. Before she knew it, he was lighting the match and preparing to light the Bunsen burner.

Natalie dropped the safety goggles she was holding to reach over and blow out the match before he had the chance to light the burner. "We don't need that for this," she said. She couldn't help but sound matter-of-factly. He didn't even spare a simple glance at the lab.

"Look," he finally said. "You're not going to be disagreeable, are you? 'Cause Walt specifically promised me an agreeable lab partner."

She stared at him in bewilderment. _"Walt?" _

He stared at her once again with that glare of his before saying, "You need to relax."

She did not have time for this.

"Actually, I need to learn this."

"Because, why?" he challenged.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her pencil and began writing once again. "Because you have to get a four on your AP exam if you want to get a college credit, in case you didn't know."

The way she said it made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What, then you'll be ahead of the game, right?" he asked.

Natalie shrugged, giving up. "Well, then I can focus on the things that I'm actually good at _and_ keep up my GPA." She was desperate to change the subject. This conversation was not going anywhere.

She looked down at the lab and skimmed the instructions while her partner continued to sit there and stare. "So," she finally said, "We need to fill this one with sodium thiosulfate and this one with nitrate," she said, pointing at the different beakers in front of them.

"Got to keep up that GPA," he continued, completely ignoring what she just said.

"Well, yeah. It's kind of helpful if you ever want to get a job and become successful in life," she rolled her eyes again, desperate for him to drop it. She began to fill the first beaker with the sodium, awaiting his next smart ass remark.

"Wow! A job! No kidding!" was his answer.

"Look, could we just do the lab?" she asked, continuing to fill the beaker.

"I'd love to! Let's do the lab," he said as he grabbed a pair of safety goggles and slipped them on. "Only you're about ten years into the future. We don't need chemistry…" he rambled as he lit another match and lit the Bunsen burner quickly. "We need _time travel."_

She looked up from her work, astonished at what he just said and found his face only inches from hers. She pulled away disgustedly and groaned. Of course, she was stuck with the weird geek that said whatever was on his mind. She could not see herself working with this guy for the rest of the year.

What the hell did he even mean when he said we needed time travel? She shook her head, not even attempting to decode the secret meanings to what he was saying. She silently wondered if there was anything wrong with him.

They continued the rest of the lab in silence. He finally took the hint and stopped talking. In the middle of the lab, she snuck a glance at his paper and saw his name.

Keith. Keith Zetterstrom.

Why hasn't she heard of that name before? She was sure that she knew almost everyone in her class because of how involved she was in school. But she had never heard of a Keith Zetterstrom.

The period finally ended and they cleaned the table in silence. As the class dispersed, Natalie quickly walked to Mr. Miles desk before anyone else could.

"Mr. Miles?" she asked cautiously.

"HI, Natalie, what can I do for you?"

She swallowed, thinking of the right thing to say. "I was just wondering if I could maybe switch lab partners."

Mr. Miles let out a sigh, as if he understood why. "I'm sorry, Natalie but I'm afraid that isn't possible."

Her shoulders dropped. "But Mr. Miles, this is AP," she said.

He leaned in closer so no one else could hear him, resting on his forearms. "Keith is actually pretty smart when he applies himself."

Natalie couldn't help but chuckle. That was definitely an overstatement. "Okay, but we kind of…" she started, trying to find the right words to say.

"…Lack chemistry?" Mr. Miles finished for her in a sly tone. He was quite proud of what he said and smiled to himself.

She nodded.

Mr. Miles looked her in the eye in almost a pleading way. "Just, try to make it work, okay?"

He looked like his mind could not be changed. Natalie pressed her lips together in a tight line and finally nodded her head. "Fine. Okay." Shrugging in defeat, she made her way to the entrance of the classroom when she heard that familiar, obnoxious voice again.

"About this Natalie Anderson thing—" Keith started.

"Yes?" Mr. Miles said.

"Walter, she's a complete anal-compulsive control freak. How do you expect me to work with that?"

She stopped in her tracks. Anger filled her eyes as her heart started pounding again. _How dare he? He didn't even know her. He had no right to say those things about her. _

She angrily stomped away and waited by the lockers next to the classroom, waiting for Keith to step outside. When he finally did, he rounded the corner and almost ran into her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" she spat.

He looked at her and smiled. "Who do _you _think I am?" he said before walking away and leaving her speechless.

* * *

After Chemistry, Keith rushed out into the parking lot, eager to finally get that new fender for his truck. Brian was already standing by his van, waiting for him.

"What's up, man?" Keith greeted with a small grin.

"Hey, how's it going, Zetterstrom," he said, joining their hands briefly.

"It's going good, it's going good," Keith nodded. "So you got it?"

"Yup," Brian declared proudly before leading him to the trunk of his van. He pulled up the door and revealed the dark-grey fender that was inside.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about, my man," Keith cried, grabbing Brian's shoulder. "How much?"

"Fifty is fine," Brian replied. From behind him, Keith noticed a small girl with golden hair. She was wearing a thin, black tank top and was staring right at him. As soon as he made eye contact with her, she looked away quickly and continued talking to the man in front of her.

He couldn't see the man's face, but he was pretty sure that his name was Rafael Marquez. He was what they called "new meat." Natalie smiled and laughed while talking to him, showing off her breathtaking smile.

Of course she would be interested in him.

"Is that okay, Zetterstrom?" Brian said again, waving his hand in front of his face.

Keith shook his head suddenly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few bills. "It's perfect, man, thanks," he said as he slipped the bills into Brian's hand.

"Don't mention it," he said straightly, shoving the bills into his pocket. "Take it easy, will you, Zetterstrom?" he added, holding his hand up again.

"You, too, man," Keith replied. As Brian looked away, Keith glanced at Natalie once again. Her eyes reunited with his once again. This time, however, Rafael Marquez looked back as well and shared a glance with him.

Keith grinned cheekily, pointing at Natalie and waving.

Natalie's cheeks turned red as she looked at the ground.

"Who's _that?" _Marquez asked bitterly.

"Oh, um, he's nobody. He's just my lab partner," she shrugged. Keith rolled his eyes before turned around to get into his truck, chuckling at himself. He started his engine and left the parking lot so Natalie can explain herself.

It serves her right.

The truth is, he didn't realize how pretty she had gotten. But he couldn't let himself get distracted…there was a job that was to be done! And to be honest with himself, he hasn't been feeling too hot lately. Who knows how much time he has with her?

"Natalie Anderson," Keith said to himself as he sped down a familiar dirt road, "You'll never know what hit you."

* * *

The next day at school sped by in the blink of an eye. She trailed in the same exact path that she traveled in day after day, week after week. She trudged along the hallways, reliving the same day over and over again. Before she knew it, she was slipping into the AP Chemistry classroom once again to see her new lab partner already sitting at the lab bench.

She sighed, making her way to her seat next to Keith.

"Hello, partner," Keith greeted happily.

"Hi," she muttered. She took his paper with the lab procedure on it, studying it intently before groaning loudly. "Keith!"

He jumped, startled. "What?!"

She threw her backpack on the ground and took her seat. "You set up the lab wrong," she sighed. She took the test tubes and beakers, organizing them in a way that was described on the sheet.

Keith threw his hands up in the air, backing off. "You know best, partner."

She looked at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and continuing to set up the lab. After several minutes of silence, she realized that he had inched closer to her, simply watching her do her work. He had a small, observant smile plastered on his face.

"So you don't remember," he concluded.

"What?"

"Well, I stood behind you in the sixth grade play, of course," he scoffed. "You were the Princess and I was Russian Soldier #3."

"I don't remember that."

Yet she quickly searched her memory. She vaguely remembered being in a play and starring as the princess. She remembered the prettiest pink dress she had ever seen, and it was _her _costume. Blake Jensen played the prince, and every girl was jealous of her for being his princess. But there were Russian Solders…?

Keith sighed. "Of course you don't. Princesses never remember the little people."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Well, please excuse me while I cry for you."

"You should!" Keith chuckled. "You _should_ cry for me all the way from your early decision tower." He sucked in a breath. That definitely got her attention. She stared at him, wide eyed, wondering how he knew that.

"It's posted in the front office," he added, noticing her astonishment.

She let out a gust of air, frustrated. "Why do they do that?"

"Why _Duke_?" Keith asked, ignoring her question.

Natalie shifted her focus on her paper, skimming the questions before answering him. "Oh you know, great faculty, Division I, that kind of stuff."

"Oh I'm sure you get what you pay for."

"Actually, I have a partial scholarship," Natalie said, scribbling down the answer for the first question. Keith picked up the test tube with the samples inside and studied them.

"That's right, tennis. So they basically give you a bunch of money for hitting a ball over a net," he said blankly.

"Something like that," Natalie said quickly. "Where did _YOU_ apply?" She crossed her arms, curious to see what the answer would be.

He put the beaker down and licked his lips before joining his eyes with hers. "Nowhere," he said bluntly.

Natalie paused. "What…are you not going to college?"

"Not in the 'Christian-Judeo' sense, no, I'm not," he replied.

She tried to understand. "So…what are you doing after high school?"

He just stared at her before saying, "The sky's the limit."

"That's informative," she muttered sarcastically. "Then what are you doing taking an AP class? I mean, AP in _what_?"

His eyes looked around the room, avoiding her stare.

She threw her pencil down. "Well, I'm sure there's a really simple explanation."

"Of course there is, Natalie, and you're not going to stop until you figure out what it is."

"That sounds like a challenge," she tested. "You're on."

* * *

For some reason The Brick was extra cold that night. Natalie wished she had brought an extra jacket or something.

Brooke snuck up from behind her, nearly giving her a heart attack.

"Look! He's over there, just go talk to him!" she whispered excitedly.

Natalie snuck a glance at Raff. He was dancing with Sarah Moore to an interesting Latino song. She narrowed her eyes jealously. She never really liked Sarah.

"What do I even say?" she asked, turning her back to him once again. "I don't want to sound like a desperate idiot."

Brooke shifted her glance to behind her. "You won't have to," she winked. "Have a good time."

Before Natalie could figure out what Brooke was talking about, she spun around to see Raff's beautiful face inches from hers.

"Hi," she shook.

"Hey, there," he smiled. He pointed at the water. "The lake looks amazing tonight."

She relaxed her pounding heart. "Yeah, it really does." She spotted two large rocks right next to the lake. "Do you want to sit?"

"Of course," he said, gesturing for her to lead the way. She walked over to the smaller rock and took a seat. He plopped down on the rock next to her.

"So, how are you adjusting to the new school?" she asked.

"I don't know, Miss Key Club. You tell me."

"Well, you got a 98% on your History Midterm, so I'd say you're falling apart," she teased.

He chuckled to himself. "What about you, miss four point four. You obviously have so much waiting for you after you graduate."

She turned to face him, staring into his eyes. "Thank you," she said as sincere as she could. It was nice hearing it from someone other than her parents.

He laughed it off. "Don't mention it."

She smiled and shifted so she could look out into the lake. "What do you think you'll be doing after high school? Or even after college?"

He thought about it. "I'm going to own my own record label," he declared surely.

"Wow, you think big," she smiled. She found it attractive that he had such high ambitions. That was difficult to find in a guy. For a moment, just a moment, she thought of Keith and how he claimed that he wasn't even going to college. She shook the image of his face out of her mind.

"What about you, Natalie?"

She straightened her back. "I want to run a magazine. I want to be the editor," she said. She let out a sigh of relief. She had never told anyone that before, and it sounded strange being said out loud. She felt so happy she couldn't stop herself. "I mean, why not? Why not do something absolutely amazing with your life?"

"Yeah, there's a whole world out there." Raff was somewhere else. He looked into her eyes with a longing that wasn't there moments ago. Natalie was too excited to notice. He looked down at her mouth.

"Everybody here just wants to make it to state," she went on. "What happened to trying something new?" Raff's eyes were still glued to her lips.

"Yeah," he said before leaning forward and putting his lips onto hers by surprise. Startled, it took Natalie a second to realize what was happening.

_She was kissing Rafael Marquez. _

She pulled him closer to him eagerly, her mouth moving with his. She could feel his breath on her skin, and it warmed her from the cold night. She cupped his face with her hands as his trailed down to the small of her back.

It couldn't have been more perfect.

In the corner of her eye, she noticed a flash of light shine on the other side of the lake. It faded slowly as the car drove away.


End file.
